Mary Ann Kania

Mary Ann (Romstadt) Kania of Oregon, Ohio passed away peacefully on March 1, 2026, in the early morning hours, after a 16-year battle with cancer. She was 78 years old.

Mary Ann was born on May 11, 1947, in Toledo, Ohio, to Joseph Romstadt and Emily Ruth (Bacon) Romstadt. She grew up on Raymer St. on the East Side, and was one of nine children. She attended Sacred Heart Elementary School, and was a member of the first graduating class at Cardinal Stritch High School in 1965. The friends she made in elementary and high school remained lifelong friends. Mary Ann would gather with them several times a year, including an annual high school reunion.

Mary Ann attended Bowling Green State University for a short time after high school, and it was during this time that she met Roger J. Kania, whom she married in 1967. Mary Ann and Roger had two children, Rebecca born in 1968 and Michele born in 1969. Mary Ann and Roger divorced in 1978, but remained close friends and raised their girls in peaceful cooperation.

Mary Ann began her career in 1970 at Toledo Trust Bank in East Toledo as a teller. She worked her way up to branch manager of several locations, including Swanton, where she was active in the Chamber of Commerce and the Rotary Club. She finished her 24-year banking career in 1994 as a Group Banking Coordinator at Society National Bank. In the midst of her banking career, she returned to college and completed her Bachelor's Degree in Business. After leaving the bank, Mary Ann continued to work, landing the favorite job of her career as a fiscal officer at the Area Office on Aging of Northwestern Ohio, from which she retired in 2013.

Mary Ann spent her retirement years immersed in creative projects and being with family. She was an avid sewer, and started planning and sewing Christmas gifts for friends and family soon after the previous holiday season. She and her sister Ruthie spent hours each week working on sewing and crafting projects. Mary Ann also spent time taking care of her 6.5 acre home "The Woods" in Oregon, Ohio. The Woods was her home, of course, but it was also a gathering place where she would throw epic parties, especially during Halloween. Mary Ann loved throwing parties, and she valued family even more. She enjoyed more than two decades of quality time with her four grandchildren, Claire, Quinn, Carson, and Emma. Her children and grandchildren were the most important part of her life. Mary Ann suffered the loss of her daughter, Michele, to cancer in 2017. Despite this devastating loss, Mary Ann powered through life and her own battles with cancer.

It should be mentioned that Mary Ann's battle with cancer revealed just how extraordinary she was. From her first diagnosis of breast cancer in 2009, through her most recent diagnoses of ovarian cancer and leukemia in the last few years, she showed positivity, strength, and fearlessness. Anyone who knew her would admit to being awed by her ability to face cancer with stoic courage.

Mary Ann's family is grateful for the doctors and nurses who've treated her over the years, and for Hospice of NWO, who took loving care of her during the last 6 months of her life in her daughter's home.

Mary Ann was preceded in death by her parents, Joseph and Emily Ruth Romstadt; her siblings Joseph Romstadt, Jan Matlin, Michael Romstadt, and Ellen Vascik; her former husband Roger J. Kania; her daughter Michele Kania McNulty; and her son-in-law James McLean. She is survived by her daughter Rebecca Kania McLean; her grandchildren Claire & Emma McLean, and Quinn & Carson McNulty; her siblings Gilbert (Patti) Romstadt, Tom (Lina) Romstadt, Ruth Ann (Tom) Cook, and Daniel (Shelly) Romstadt; and her friend David Kuebler. She will be remembered with great reverence and missed by everyone who knew her.

Mary Ann's life will be celebrated on Saturday, March 14, 2026, at Walker Funeral Home in Oregon, Ohio, 3500 Navarre Ave. Visitation will take place from 11:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m., with a service beginning at 1:00. A luncheon will follow.